


Within Reach

by fusrodie



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-08
Updated: 2015-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-25 09:07:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4954546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fusrodie/pseuds/fusrodie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He had lost a daughter, and then a wife, and fear saw him run away to Ferelden before he could lose any more. The Blight comes and instead of losing, he gains three. A short story on how Lord Amell of Kirkwall met the Rutherford siblings, their Templar brother and his long lost daughter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Within Reach

Lord Amell loses a part of himself when his first daughter is taken away. A bright young girl who had not yet reached her seventh year, who enjoyed playing with her siblings and had already learned how to curtsy. A blast of fire, a bolt of ice, he cannot remember what it was she had done, but the Templars came for her that same day. What he does remember is his wife’s expression, pure terror and desperation as she tried to grab at their metal armor, cursing the Chantry, the Maker, their wives and their children. Remembers being too shocked to act, remembers comforting his wife though he had been in despair himself, and remembers the day he had woken up and Revka was no longer beside him.

When his second child brings home a stray cat and heals its wounds with nothing but magic, he knows he cannot stay in Kirkwall any longer. He cannot bear the thought of having yet another piece of him ripped apart, another child locked away in a Circle, away from their family, knowing nothing of love, living a secluded, restricted life. They abandon the city around the same time the rumors reach the Knight-Commander, aided by a bribed city guard to whom he had been careful enough not to disclose their destination. He leaves the estate with a bag slung over his shoulders and a child in each arm, no riches, no title, no future.

He struggles to make ends meet for years after that, going from village to village when the people became suspicious, traveling the roads with caravans, armed with the old family sword he had not used in so long. He likes Redcliffe but they don’t stay for long, Honnleath is too small, too risky, Lothering has more Templars than it should. He has no coin in his pocket when they stumble upon South Reach, and it is out of necessity they take shelter in an abandoned cabin.

Life has taken a few steps in the right direction when the Blight comes to raze it all. Refugees are everywhere, scared people who run for their lives, who had lost parents, children.

Lord Amell takes the Rutherfords in when they first come to South Reach. He will never admit it, but he does it because he  _cares_ . The eldest has barely entered her twenties and the Blight has forced her into taking care of two younger siblings. She is brave, proud, loyal, protective like he knew his eldest to be, back before she was taken and locked away. He lets them stay for as long as they like, until they find a place for themselves, but the bond between them never breaks. He and Mia later become business partners.

He had always wished for a big family, and Revka had given him five beautiful children; even after his dreams had been crushed and his opportunity of having a happy, prosperous life had been taken away, he had refused to start over, had refused to forget her. He never took another wife after losing Revka, preferring to devote all of his time to his children instead. He would be the best father he could be, he would protect them from the world, he would never let another be taken again.

He never tells anyone his eldest child is the Hero of Ferelden. He never tells anyone his family name, instead using his old one, the one his parents had given him, before he married his wife and became an Amell. It’s heartwarming to hear when other people mention her, express their gratefulness for her heroism. Rosalie Rutherford would never forget seeing the Warden in Honnleath, cold confidence and colorful magic, and frequently brags her once-Templar brother had met the Hero back in Kinloch Hold. Lord Amell smiles, but never says a word.

When his daughter comes to visit, perhaps once or twice a year, they keep it all a secret. It feels wrong to hide and she tells him so, but they both agree it’s for the best. The Rutherford siblings treat her as one of their own, tell stories about their childhood, about their warrior brother. When she comes to visit, it feels like his family is complete at long last.

When  _he_ comes to visit, no longer the boy he had heard so much about but a man in his early thirties, he cannot help but hope. The two get along well, playing chess together or enjoying some tea in the afternoon, criticizing Orlesians and talking about politics. There is a moment of awkwardness when he mentions what a match he would be for his eldest, a shy smile, mouth opening to mutter a polite apology. Instead Lord Amell is the one apologizing, reassuring the other man there would be no arrangements and no pressure, because she would never accept it, and perhaps that was the reason the two were such a perfect fit. Headstrong, independent, proud, his daughter was. Someone who preferred to walk side by side, neither controlling nor submitting. The boy confides in him, voice low and cheeks blushing, he had loved someone like that once, someone he had hurt and never seen again.

Mia  _knows_ , agrees, convinces him to stay until the next time she comes to visit. What harm could there be? The two families were close, friends. His eldest daughter had witnessed Branson’s flirting, Rosalie’s daydreaming, Mia’s nagging, and it hadn’t diminished her affection in the slightest. The once lost brother had also adapted quickly to the Amell siblings, despite being what they were, growing to like them more and more as time went by.

The sun shines brightly outside when the day finally comes, and he spies from behind the curtain when the two come face to face, standing in front of one another, unable to say a thing. They are gone for hours, and Lord Amell spots them sitting under a tree, talking, keeping each other at arm’s length, until Branson and Rosalie come and call them for dinner. He hurries to introduce them,  _these are my siblings, Branson and Rosalie_ , and she blinks once, twice, it’s far too late now and he continues,  _this is Lady Amell, Hero of Ferelden_. They stand in silence, surprise on their faces.  _I know_ , is what comes out of her mouth after a minute’s pause, Branson deadpans the two knew each other, Rosalie explains this is the one, the woman he had heard so much about, the woman whose hand was practically offered to him over tea and shortbread.

Dinner is strangely silent after so much confusion, the Commander and the Warden seemingly refuse to exchange glances, while he and Mia wordlessly commend each other on a job well done. He prays to the Maker when duty calls and the two say goodbye, faithful hounds following after, prays their paths cross once more.

Good things come for those who wait, and he waits patiently for months. Letters are scarce and lacking details, Mia cannot lift any useful information and he has no idea when, if, they will come back. But they do, and this time they are together, amicable conversations and sincere smiles. He sees it then, the spark, the longing, and the two families join forces in an unspoken pact to show their support and shower them in blessings.

The first time Lord Amell hears him call his eldest  _love_ , there are tears in his eyes. His tone is not serious nor playful; it is a casual display of devotion,  _yes, love_ , and she answers in kind, gazing upon her lover as Revka once did upon himself. He watches the two of them blush, hold hands, confess their love in hushed whispers.

It feels like too long has passed until he sees them again, and he braces for the news as best he can. He had gone through it not once, but five times, sees the signs, reads their tells. She looks plump and he cannot stop smiling, Mia knits tiny garments and Branson’s son comes to question about his cousin. The two come together to inform him, they would stay until the end of the season, and he would have his grandchild just like they’d promised.

They are all caught by surprise when she gives birth to twins; the girl has her father’s amber eyes and blonde curls, gives away smiles but wails fiercely in her crib at night. The boy is all her, her hair, her eyes, her demeanor, a calm, quiet baby, who frowns and observes. They stay until it’s safe for the babes to travel, and he wants to plead, but knows he shouldn’t. The two had to find a place of their own in the world, a haven that was all theirs, even though he would have liked them to stay under his wings.

The last time he sees them, the twins have already learned to call him  _grandpa._ Even being so young the eldest begs her father for lessons on how to wield a sword, purses her lips and knits her eyebrows together when he refuses. Her mother has to take over when she starts giving him the puppy eyes. The boy enjoys playing war but prefers flowers and petting Rosalie’s cat, is all smiles when he comes to tell  _gran_  his father had promised to teach him how to ride a horse when he was  _this_ tall.

His daughter holds his hand when he can’t get out of bed, her husband standing behind her, caressing her shoulders to provide a bit of comfort. Rosalie sniffles, hides her face in his youngest’s hair, Mia is silent but there is no denying the sadness in her eyes. They cry together, father and daughter, Amells and Rutherfords, tears of sadness, tears of joy. Life had separated them for so long, had made them hopeless, unable to believe in anything but a cruel outcome. This was his end; yet nothing but happiness filled his heart, and he tells them as much. Lord Amell passes away during a winter’s morning, surrounded by those he loved, his grandchildren storming the house like he had dreamed, fear gone from his heart. Even though he would be gone, they would always have each other.

**Author's Note:**

> This was based on a headcanons post I wrote a day or so ago. I had absolutely no intention of writing this. Or anything regarding those headcanons, actually. But I couldn’t stop my fingers, so might as well get this over with, yeah? I don’t want to stare at it much or I’ll end up making it bigger. As in, deleting this, starting over, and making a multi-chapter fic kind of bigger. 
> 
> It's going to be the last new thing I come up with for this ship for a while - I mean, four different fics with the same pairing is a bit much, no? Besides, I haven't had much time to actually read fanfic, so catching up will take a while. I'll still update the other ones, but I'll try to write a different pairing next time.
> 
> I hope this one is enjoyable - I sure had fun writing it. Thank you for reading!


End file.
